Tag: LSU Softball

A look at the LSU softball program ahead of the season opener

A look ahead to LSU softball.

The 2021 LSU Tiger Softball team finished the season last year with a loss in the Baton Rouge Super Regional against the Florida State Seminoles, who eventually went on to play the Oklahoma Sooners for the National Championship. That Super Regional is a series the Lady Tigers remember all too well.

“We have the whole FSU dogpile on our TVs,” said redshirt junior infielder Georgia Clark.

“The way last year ended it definitely put a spark under us,” said redshirt sophomore infielder Taylor Pleasants.

When you play in an emotional series like that and you come up short, you have two options. You can let it break you, or you can let it motivate you. The Lady Tigers have chosen to come back stronger.

“We’re going to go do weights and we’re going to do it to the best of our ability because maybe if we slacked off that one rep that might have been the difference between winning and losing,” said Pleasants.

“The way last year ended gives us the highest amount of motivation I think it was a really rough ending it was a tough pill to swallow. We saw so many opportunities where we could’ve had the last game go differently. I think we’re working every day to get opportunities like that back and make sure we take care of the ones that are in front of us,” said LSU Softball head coach Beth Torina.

The Lady Tigers had a very young team last year. They finished the season 35-22 with a team that had four Seniors and two Juniors. This means that 79% of that team is coming back this year. Led by Taylor Pleasants who finished last year with a .316 batting average, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and 49 RBIs. Pleasants was recently named to the USA Softball Top 50 “Watch List”.

The Lady Tigers start the season ranked No. 14 in the USA TODAY Sports preseason poll and are picked to finish 6th in the 2022 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll. LSU will open the 2022 season with the Tiger Classic, playing host to South Alabama, Illinois, and Central Arkansas on Feb. 11-13.

LSU softball defeats Central Arkansas in game one of doubleheader

LSU softball defeated Central Arkansas 3-0 on Tuesday in the first game of a double header.

The No. 13 LSU Tigers softball team is hosting Central Arkansas in a doubleheader at Tiger Park on Tuesday.

The Tigers took the first game by a score of 3-0.

With the win, LSU improves to 6-3 on the season. Central Arkansas falls to 3-6 with the loss.

Shelby Wickersham earned the start in the circle for the Tigers and started the game off with two strikeouts.

In the first inning, Amanda Doyle and Shelbi Sunseri drew walks but no runs came across the board.

LSU scored one run in the second inning as Ciara Briggs tripled then later scored on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Tidwell.

Central Arkansas threatended in the fifth inning with two runners on but Wickersham struck out a batter for the final out of the inning.

Aliyah Andrews led off the sixth inning with a hit and later scored on a single by Doyle to put the Tigers up 2-0. Georgia Clark then hit an RBI single that scored Akiya Thymes.

The Tigers shut out the Bears in the first game. Wickersham allowed four hits but no runs in the pitcher’s circle.

LSU softball defeats Liberty in Easton Bama Bash

The No. 9 LSU softball team bounced back on Sunday with an 8-4 win over Liberty on two home runs from Taylor Pleasants.

The No.9 LSU Tigers softball team is in Tuscaloosa this weekend competing in the Easton Bama Bash.

On Sunday, the Tigers faced off against the Liberty Flames and won the first game of the day 8-5.

With the win, LSU improved to 5-2 on the season.

Aliyah Andrews led off the game with a hard hit double to left field. Taylor Pleasants then went yard over left field to put the Tigers up 2-0 early.

Shelbi Sunseri hit her first home run of the year to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

In the second, Liberty took Ali Kilponen deep on a two-run home run to score the team’s first two runs of the game, Then, Liberty scored another run to tie the game at 3-3.

In the top of the fourth, the Tigers answered back as Danieca Coffey hit a triple to left field that scored Kilponen to make it a 5-3 lead for LSU.

Liberty led off the bottom half of the fourth with a double. LSU brought in Sunseri to pitch but the Flames scored on an error to make it a 5-4 game.

LSU scored three runs in the sixth inning. Coffey drew a walk and later moved to second base on a single by Andrews. Pleasants hit another home run that scored both Coffey and Andrews as the Tigers took an 8-3 lead.

Liberty would score another run in the seventh to make it an 8-4 game.

Sunseri closed out the inning in the circle as LSU would hold on for a much needed win. She earned the win in the pitcher’s circle and moves to 3-1 on the season.

LSU softball defeats Kansas

The LSU softball team defeated Kansas 5-3 on Saturday in the Tiger Classic. LSU hit three home runs in the win.

The No. 5 LSU Tigers softball team bounced back on Saturday with a 5-3 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Tiger Classic.

LSU lost against Duke by a score of 8-4.

On Saturday, the Tigers moved to 2-1 on the season with the win over the Jayhawks, while Kansas fell to 1-3 with the loss.

Kansas got on the board in the second inning with a solo home run. In the bottom of the second, Ciara Briggs put the Tigers on the board with a solo home run of her own to make it a 1-1 game.

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LSU led off the bottom of the fourth inning as Shelbi Sunseri doubled to left center. Briggs then added a single and stole second to put runners on second and third with one out. Morgan Cummins hit a sacrifice fly and Anna Jones scored from third as the pinch-runner for Sunseri.

The Tigers held a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth inning. But the Jayhawks hit another home run to even the game at 2-2. Sunseri came in to pitch and Kansas took advantage on an error that made the score 3-2 Jayhawks.

LSU scored three runs in the fifth inning to go up 5-3. Taylor Pleasants drew a walk and later scored on a home run by Amanda Doyle. Georgia Clark hit a homer of her own to extend the lead.

Sunseri was awarded the win in the pitcher’s circle as she had one strikeout. She moves to 2-0 on the season with the win. Maribeth Gorsuch started the game for LSU and worked four innings with two strikeouts.

Up next, LSU faces Central Arkansas in a doubleheader on Sunday to close out the Tiger Classic. The first game is set for a 12:30 pm CST first pitch. The second game will follow at 3 pm CST.

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LSU’s best head coaches of the decade: Beth Torina

In her time at the helm, Torina has a record of 360-155, good for a .699 winning percentage.

Over the past eight years, LSU softball coach Beth Torina has coached her team to the Women’s College World Series four times.

In her time at the helm, Torina has a record of 360-155, good for a .699 winning percentage.

She led the Tigers to become the SEC West division champions during the 2013 season.

Although the Tigers have never won the national championship. Torina’s experience coaching the program to the Women’s College World Series four times could elevate the team to finally winning that desired trophy soon enough.

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Torina has brought in great talent over the years. From Carley Hoover and Shemiah Sanchez to Maribeth Gorsuch and Aliyah Andrews, Torina has put LSU softball on the map over the years.

During the 2020 season, Torina had the Tigers ranked No. 5 in the country with a 21-3 record. Gorsuch tossed the first seven-inning no-hitter in program history, and the team looked poised for a national championship run. Then the coronavirus shut down sports and that quest for a title ended abruptly.

But, given her track record, Torina could have the Tigers looking like an elite team again next season. Though most of the seniors will likely depart, the roster will still be stacked with great talent behind them to fill the void.

Even in the years when the Tigers didn’t finish greater than fifth in the SEC standings, Torina remained calm and coached her program all the way to the Women’s College World Series.

If there is one LSU program outside of the football team that could win a championship next, it’s Torina’s softball team.

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